The Free Agency Power Rankings. Consider this our opening salvo toward determining order in the NFL membership for the 2016 campaign.

With the new league year starting last week, teams have been blowing their cap money like ... well ... like ... wait, the 49ers and Browns haven't spent anything.

Let's start that over.

With the new league year starting last week, I am putting forth the Power Rankings with no up and down arrows. This is the starting line for all 32 teams. And this just in: The Broncos are not in the pole position. You must have a driver not named Trevor Siemian or Mark Sanchez for that honor.

For analysis on every team, take a look below. And, as always, feel free to share your take: @HarrisonNFL is the place.

Let the dissension commence!

RANK

1

PANTHERS

Carolina has to be No. 1, although it's close with New England.
The return of a healthy Kelvin Benjamin should prevent this offense from taking a step back in 2016. Even if the
Panthersdid catch lightning in a bottle with offensive coordinator Mike Shula's everything-I-call-is-working play calling last season, Benjamin adds another dimension to this team. The worry is the pass rush, though
re-signing Charles Johnson was nice. The veteran defensive end has long been one of the NFL's most underrated players, despite being hurt much of this past season.

Like Carolina, the
Cardinals needed a pass rusher. They couldn't just rely on calling
Dwight Freeney --
again -- or, say, "Too Tall" Jones to come off the couch and lead the team in sacks.
Enter Chandler Jones, who should form a promising duo with
Markus Golden. On the other side of the ball,
Carson Palmer's play in the 2015 postseason -- 59.3 percent completion rate, four TDs against six INTs and a 67.1 passer rating in two games -- must be a slight concern.
Re-signing backup Drew Stanton was smart. It's those kinds of moves that earn teams a win or two. Let's not forget how 2014 played out for this group.

RANK

4

STEELERS

These could be your 2016
Super Bowl champs right here -- yes, even with the exciting-but-inconsistent
Martavis Bryantsuspended for the year. The key, beyond the health factor, is the secondary. How much will the organization hit that group in the draft? Thankfully, my cousin-in-law pointed out that
Senquez Golson, the
Steelers' second-round pick in 2015, didn't play last year. Easy to forget
those rookie medical guys. With the return of Golson -- a product of Ole Miss, which also happens to be my cousin-in-law's alma mater, thus explaining the motivation for championing a backup DB -- Pittsburgh doesn't need as much help as is being put out there on the Interwebs. The defense fared better than any league observer thought it would last season ... well enough to win it at all, had the offense (which, at various points of the year, was without
Ben Roethlisberger,
Le'Veon Bell and
Antonio Brown) stayed healthy. My cousin-in-law did not want his name used for this blurb, so all I will say is that it rhymes with "Davey."

What will Pete Carroll's team look like in 2016? The guess here is it'll probably be closer to the scoring machine we saw from Week 12 on last season than the
ball control, play defense and out-physical you squad we saw from 2012 to '14. Running back
Marshawn Lynch and defensive tackle
Brandon Mebane -- core players on a squad that has fielded a top-five rushing attack and a top-five overall defense in each of the past four seasons -- are gone. Can second-year pro
Thomas Rawls --
recovering from a fractured ankle -- be the workhorse who moves the chains enough to burn clock and let the
Bobby Wagners of the world rest their legs? Maybe he won't have to, with the way
Russell Wilson (2,146 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, two picks and a 124.3 passer rating over the final eight games) fared late in 2015.
Losing linebacker Bruce Irvin to free agency hurt, too.

Wow, where to put the
Bengals?
This is still one of the strongest teams in the AFC. Thank goodness they
kept Adam Jones and let
both of theirfree-agent wide receivers walk. So now when
A.J. Green is getting blanketed every play, the cornerback can walk over and argue with the refs. We kid, we kid. Felt Cincy needed to keep either
Mohamed Sanu or
Marvin Jones, although
Marvin Jones will make more money in Detroit ($40 million over five years, with $17 million fully guaranteed) than Cincinnati owner
Mike Brown was going to pay. So let's see what seventh-round pick
Mario Alford -- who can run faster than a '93 Ford Probe GT -- can do. The defection that I am
really worried about: Hue Jackson.

RANK

10

VIKINGS

From the national perspective, the
Vikings barely made a peep in free agency. The big splash play was absent. Make no mistake, though: The organization was active.
Signing Alex Boone was a nice move. Way to go get a guard. Football games are still won in the G-C-G area of the field. Moreover,
letting Mike Wallace go was the right call. He was not a key piece to Minnesota repeating as NFC North champs in 2016. Love that the Vikes
signed Terence Newman. You can never have enough
Terence Newmans in your locker room.

RANK

11

REDSKINS

How will the
Redskins fare in 2016? Well, if success in modern pro football is contingent on having continuity at head coach and quarterback, Washington has that. Notice the words that begin with "con" in the previous sentence. Appropriate, as the prefix
"con-"means "together," and -- perhaps because of
Kirk Cousins' infectious attitude
(and catchphrases) -- this team played
together last season. OK, so that's Simple Simon reasoning, but playing as a team is so underrated in this era of
Let's go buy a defense roster construction
(SEE: Giants, New York football). Now, we should note that if the
Redskins don't develop a running game, there will be plenty of
consternation in D.C.

RANK

12

TEXANS

Houston immediately looks stronger on paper. The football team, not the city. The latter always seems to play second sister to Dallas, even though Nolan Ryan is from those parts. Even though it's bigger (in both population and area) than Big D. Even though the Oilers' uniforms were the coolest in NFL history. We digress.
Maybe Brock Osweiler will develop into the type of player who vaults the
Texans into the national football consciousness, perhaps one notch ahead of the
Cowboys. If he does, it will be due in no small part to
the signing of running back Lamar Miller, who couldn't buy 20 carries while stuck on the Joe Philbin-era
Dolphins. Houston coach Bill O'Brien will feed him.

RANK

13

RAIDERS

Hey, it's a new league year, and I can put the
Raiders as high as I want. Do I think they're hovering around wild-card status right now? Yes, I do. While giving the benefit of the doubt to the participants in the 2015 postseason field for now, Oakland is as ready as any ballclub to push one of those AFC teams (say, the
Texans,
Bengals or
Chiefs) out.
New linebacker Bruce Irvin might not be a 10-sack guy annually, but have fun facing him and that
(Khalil) Mack truck playing on the other side.
Signing offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele made much sense. All those who were angry Oakland quarterback
Derek Carr didn't make
my All-Under-25 Team earlier this month, well, it was because he's going to turn 25 on March 28, which is prior to the 2016 season kickoff, which
disqualified him from consideration. Still, Carr is further along than fellow 2014 draftees
Teddy Bridgewater and
Blake Bortles right now.

RANK

14

BILLS

Guessing
Bills fans are upset receiver
Chris Hogan won't be running around Ralph Wilson Stadium this year. Or maybe they're more upset that he
will -- for the Evil Empire. Seriously,
Hogan joining the AFC East-ruling Patriots would be like
Chewbacca fitting his hairy pits into an XXXL stormtrooper outfit (that option cannot be unlocked in "Star Wars: Battlefront"). You know what? That's economics. Football economics -- a course I plan to teach
at Adams College this summer -- dictates that teams must pay to retain their offensive lines. That's where pro football is won. If only the
Browns were paying attention, say, in
this instance, or
this instance.

Everyone reading this far down the rankings has probably wondered, "Where are the
Giants?" Well, the Power Rankings do
not equal an ode to big free agency moves. Can a front office retool a defense with
a bunch of contractors? Most of the time, it doesn't work. Why doubt Big Blue's spending spree? A) These players have never played with each other, or in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's scheme. B) There is a reason their former clubs didn't want to pony up the money the
Giants did. Defensive end
Olivier Vernon, cornerback
Janoris Jenkins and nose tackle
Damon Harrison certainly
improve the talent level, but will the boost translate to the
Giants' first playoff spot in five years? Think Harrison -- who, by the way, owns a heckuva last name -- will bring serious toughness to a unit that desperately needs it.

RANK

17

COLTS

The fact that the
Colts finished last season at 8-8 -- despite the quarterback carousel and coaching turmoil -- speaks to the character of the players in the locker room ... or does it?
According to the recently departed Coby Fleener, some of the guys were chillin' all season. What we do know is that the caveman tight end will be missed, as will
Matt Hasselbeck's veteran presence. It's not often Indy is the fourth-most-talked-about team in the AFC South, but that's been the case of late. The
Colts still have
Andrew Luck, though, and that keeps them above the
Jaguars and
Titans.

RANK

18

JAGUARS

Surprised? Don't be. The
Jaguars showed signs of turning the losing culture around last season via an explosive offense. Now Gus Bradley has tools to work with on defense, given the arrivals of
Malik Jackson and
Tashaun Gipson, among others. Offensively, Jacksonville added
Chris Ivory, one of the true thumpers in pro football. He'll nicely complement
T.J. Yeldon in providing a ground game for young QB
Blake Bortles, who certainly doesn't need to have everything on his shoulders in Year 3. Speaking of, Jags fans were quite upset I chose
Teddy Bridgewater over Bortles on
my All-Under-25 Team. If I had to do it again, I might go with the latter. It was hard to get over the devastating turnovers. So many of Bortles' picks
really cost his team (and undermined his productivity). Meanwhile, Bridgewater was not asked to drop back as much; rather, he had to convert third downs and let the run game and defense do much of the work. These two young field generals are just tasked with different assignments.

RANK

19

FALCONS

Better keep an eye on these
Falcons. Sure, the 2-7 finish sucked. The defense couldn't hold the fort when the offense was moving, and the offense put the defense in bad positions with untimely turnovers. (The red-zone turnovers were particularly alarming.) The interesting note here is that as much as people have been concerned about Dan Quinn's D, the O was the losing side of the middling 8-8 record. Thankfully, the front office recognizes that deal, and made amends by signing
Alex Mack and
Mohamed Sanu.

RANK

20

BUCCANEERS

The Bucs did themselves right by
re-upping Doug Martin to a five-year deal. Yes, I know: Running backs have a short shelf life. But Martin is still a reasonable 27 years old -- and he just
finished second in the league in rushing while compiling 1,673 yards from scrimmage. Young QB
Jameis Winston needs that kinda support in the backfield. Also liked the signing of one
Robert Ayers, who has been a solid pro. Did he have a breakout campaign in a contract year? Perhaps. But Tampa Bay needs another pass rusher to contend. It's that elementary.

The
Eaglesgot their quarterback ...
or two. They also got rid of some contracts and remnants of the Chip Kelly era. Seriously, it's as though he was an Etch A Sketch that the front office was champing at the bit to shake the minute the door closed behind him. Oh, yes. Forgot our NFL.com age demographic.
Here is an Etch A Sketch, everybody.

RANK

25

JETS

If the
Jets go into the season with only
Geno Smith and
Bryce Petty, this is where they'll stay in the Power Rankings. As of this writing, New York was sans a postseason-ready quarterback, with no
IK Enemkpali around to save their season. (If something like that did go down -- again -- we would find out real quick about Petty. Perhaps Todd Bowles and Co. are far higher on the young signal caller than we all think?) This staredown with
Ryan Fitzpatrick is moving into uncomfortable territory, as otherwise, this is a 10-win football team.

RANK

26

BEARS

John Fox's retooling process slowly begins with the arrivals of
Danny Trevathan,
Jerrell Freeman and
Akiem Hicks on defense. Of course, one wonders if the
Bears will even know how to air up the footballs at practice now that Adam Gase is gone (just a slightly sarcastic reference to the overwhelmingly glowing pub he's received this offseason). Fox wants to run the football and play defense, as shown by
the front office's attempt to acquire C.J. Anderson. How about finding out how durable
Jeremy Langford is without assuming he
can't handle 20 carries per game?

RANK

27

RAMS

While the move to Los Angeles still dominates the talk around this franchise, more than a few league observers are wondering about the quarterback situation.
Case Keenum is No. 1 on the depth charts and in your hearts. The heart and soul of this team is the gliding stride of
Todd Gurley(as seen here), which, if complemented correctly, should be married to a stout defense. That is the tough part for Los Angeles (still feels weird to type), which lost solid contributors in
Chris Long,
James Laurinaitis and
Janoris Jenkins. Jeff Fisher has his work cut out for him to even get back to the glory days of 7-9.

RANK

28

SAINTS

More than any other organization in the NFL, the
Saints are depending on the health of their quarterback and a stout draft in order to compete in 2016. New Orleans hasn't enjoyed boatloads of cap space for some time now, so there will be no band of free agents to truly fix a defense that allowed
a staggering 476 points. In fact, as of this writing, the
Saints have the lowest amount of cap space in the league. Maybe the
Coby Fleener signing --
five years, $36 million -- gets you all hot and bothered. It signals to me that, sans a wonderful haul in the draft, Sean Payton will be trying to win games 40-38 again.

RANK

29

CHARGERS

San Diego could bolt up the 405 right past Los Angeles and up these Power Rankings in a New York minute with a strong draft. Of the teams I graded after the initial wave of free agency,
the Chargers were one of the few in the "A" range. Getting
Travis Benjamin masks the loss of
Malcom Floyd while simultaneously helping the special teams. The defensive line sorely needed a
Brandon Mebane. Meanwhile, the
Casey Hayward addition was one of those several-days-after-the-free-agent-musical-chairs-explosion-period signings that fly under the radar, yet win games.

RANK

30

49ERS

So much of the banter involving the
49ers revolves around an overrated quarterback who is often frenetic in the pocket -- it's becoming increasingly difficult to remember there are more than 50 other guys on this football team. Maybe the Niners eventually will take
that fourth-rounder from Big John, but they certainly are looking for a bigger offer (like, a third). There is talent on this team, from
NaVorro Bowman to
Aaron Lynch to
Quinton Dial to developmental players like
Bruce Ellington and
Jaquiski Tartt. The latter sounds like something you get with an umbrella in an overpriced L.A. speakeasy, but Tartt did start as a rookie. He has some pop. I'll be here all week. Tip somebody.

RANK

31

TITANS

This ranking might seem harsh, especially with the excitement that acquiring
DeMarco Murray brings. Yet, is he the right fit for the offense? If
Marcus Mariota is in the shotgun often -- see: read-option looks -- then the answer is likely no. That didn't work in Philadelphia. Murray is a north-south runner who does better in a single-back system with the QB under center. On the flip side, if Mariota takes off more, he will force defenses to respect his running ability, thus forcing defenses to play 11-on-11. Whereas, with
Sam Bradford at Murray's side in Philly, all the focus was on the tailback. Bradford is less of a threat to run than
Jurrell Casey. Schematically speaking, the Murray trade was the most interesting move of this offseason.

RANK

32

BROWNS

You must feel for Hue Jackson. The man has been handed a Tomsula burger. The nice element to the mass departures is that Jackson has a blank slate to start with ... as in blank stares from a bunch of rookies who can't play. The
Browns say they want to draft and keep players. The question is, how do you not keep several of your own who left last week? Especially a guy like
Mitchell Schwartz, who hasn't missed a start his whole career?